CVE-2022-28463: ImageMagick Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2022-28463 Overview

CVE-2022-28463 is a buffer overflow vulnerability affecting ImageMagick 7.1.0-27, an open-source software suite widely used for creating, editing, and converting bitmap images. This vulnerability exists in the CIN (Cineon) image file parser within the coders/cin.c component, where insufficient validation of the image_offset field can lead to a classic buffer overflow condition (CWE-120).

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation of this buffer overflow vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, cause denial of service, or potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive information on systems processing malicious CIN image files.

Affected Products

• ImageMagick versions prior to the security patch (including 7.1.0-27)
• ImageMagick6 versions prior to the security patch
• Debian Linux 9.0 (Stretch)
• Debian Linux 10.0 (Buster)

Discovery Timeline

• May 8, 2022 - CVE-2022-28463 published to NVD
• June 25, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-28463

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the CIN image format reader within ImageMagick's coders/cin.c file. When processing Cineon image files, the parser reads the image_offset value from the file header without proper validation. The CIN file format specifies a minimum header size of 712 bytes, but the vulnerable code did not enforce this constraint. An attacker could craft a malicious CIN file with an image_offset value less than 712, causing the image reader to operate on memory outside the intended buffer boundaries.

This type of vulnerability is particularly concerning in ImageMagick because the software is often used in automated image processing pipelines, web applications, and content management systems where user-uploaded images are processed without human verification.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2022-28463 is the absence of boundary validation for the image_offset field read from CIN image headers. The ReadBlobLong() function reads the offset value directly from the file without checking whether it meets the minimum required size for a valid CIN header structure. This allows attackers to manipulate memory operations by providing malformed header values.

Attack Vector

This vulnerability requires local access with user interaction. An attacker must convince a victim to open or process a specially crafted CIN image file. Attack scenarios include:

1. Web Application Attacks: Uploading malicious images to web services that use ImageMagick for image processing
2. Email-based Attacks: Sending malicious image attachments that trigger ImageMagick processing
3. Document Processing: Embedding malicious images in documents processed by systems using ImageMagick libraries

The following patch demonstrates the security fix applied to address the vulnerability:

   image->endian=(magick[0] == 0x80) && (magick[1] == 0x2a) &&
     (magick[2] == 0x5f) && (magick[3] == 0xd7) ? MSBEndian : LSBEndian;
   cin.file.image_offset=ReadBlobLong(image);
+  if (cin.file.image_offset < 712)
+    ThrowReaderException(CorruptImageError,"ImproperImageHeader");
   offset+=4;
   cin.file.generic_length=ReadBlobLong(image);
   offset+=4;

Source: ImageMagick GitHub Commit

The fix adds a validation check ensuring the image_offset value is at least 712 bytes before proceeding with image processing, throwing a CorruptImageError exception for malformed files.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-28463

Indicators of Compromise

• Presence of CIN image files with abnormally small header sizes (image_offset < 712 bytes)
• ImageMagick processes crashing or exhibiting unexpected behavior when processing CIN files
• Unusual memory access patterns or segmentation faults in ImageMagick-related processes
• Log entries indicating CorruptImageError or ImproperImageHeader errors after patching

Detection Strategies

• Monitor file uploads for CIN format files and scan for malformed headers with image_offset values below 712 bytes
• Implement application-level logging to capture ImageMagick processing errors and exceptions
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions like SentinelOne to detect anomalous process behavior during image processing
• Use YARA rules to detect malicious CIN files with invalid header structures

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable verbose logging for ImageMagick processing operations in production environments
• Monitor system calls and memory access patterns for processes invoking ImageMagick libraries
• Implement file integrity monitoring on directories containing ImageMagick binaries and libraries
• Set up alerts for segmentation faults or crashes in image processing workflows

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-28463

Immediate Actions Required

• Update ImageMagick to the latest patched version immediately
• Review and audit all systems that process user-supplied images for ImageMagick usage
• Implement input validation to reject CIN files with suspicious header values
• Consider disabling CIN format processing if not required using ImageMagick's policy configuration

Patch Information

Security patches are available from the ImageMagick project:

• ImageMagick 7.x: Apply commit ca3654ebf7a439dc736f56f083c9aa98e4464b7f or update to a version released after the fix. See the ImageMagick GitHub Commit for details.
• ImageMagick 6.x: Apply commit e6ea5876e0228165ee3abc6e959aa174cee06680 or update to a patched release. See the ImageMagick6 GitHub Commit for details.
• Debian Linux: Security updates are available through the Debian LTS repositories. Refer to the Debian LTS Announce - May 2022 and Debian LTS Announce - May 2023 for package update information.

Workarounds

• Disable CIN format processing in ImageMagick's policy.xml configuration file if CIN support is not required
• Implement pre-processing validation to reject CIN files with image_offset values less than 712 bytes
• Sandbox ImageMagick processing in isolated containers or virtual environments to limit exploitation impact
• Use ImageMagick's resource limits to restrict memory usage and prevent exploitation attempts

# Disable CIN format in ImageMagick policy.xml
# Add the following to /etc/ImageMagick-7/policy.xml or equivalent
<policy domain="coder" rights="none" pattern="CIN" />

# Verify ImageMagick version after patching
convert --version

# Test CIN format is disabled
identify -list policy | grep CIN